src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/31549/preview">
By Danny "Ralsu" Gourley
Lobbies in,
Jillions of Beta "Testers" out
Last
week,
I asked readers to weigh in on their view of games that use a lobby to
join players. Should they be given consideration as true
massively-multiplayer online games? Only
style="font-weight: bold;">megaflux was brave
enough
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=37476">to
respond. I prefer thinking that more than one person reads
the Top Ten Free-to-Play Games each week to asphyxiating myself with
my mouse cord, so I'll assume megaflux speaks for everyone or that no
one cares. Henceforth, I will consider games with a lobby as viable for
this list, which means I will spend more time in the future with games
like Warrior Epic,
Rakion, and
Exteel.
Case closed. Moving on.
As
style="font-style: italic;">Runes of Magic
gets set to roll into Closed Beta Phase III in early November, I have
been pondering the importance of a solid beta test for a free-to-play
(F2P) game. Ever seen a free-to-play game advertised on television? I
have seen ads for Maple
Story and maybe Dungeon
Runners. That's it. And that's my point. With hundreds
(maybe thousands) of F2P games out there, and little startup money left
after development for marketing, it is critical that companies generate
some positive word-of-mouth prior to the official launch of their games.
The best way to create buzz for a game is to get people to
play it, so FTP games typically have huge beta tests with thousands
upon thousands--possibly
href="http://www.answers.com/topic/jillion" target="_blank">jillions!--of
"testers" who are really there to try the game instead of help make it
better. Quite honestly, the strategy fails much of the time. The
so-called testers don't bother to report bugs. They play until they
encounter something that turns them off to the game and leave. They
tell their friends only about the offensive gameplay element, and the
game is relegated to the anonymity that comes with a glutted market.
Frogster Interactive, the folks behind
style="font-style: italic;">Runes of Magic,
wanted a different fate for their game. When Closed Beta started, Ten
Ton Hammer was fortunate enough to receive
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=35541">50
guaranteed invitations for its readers. The small number was
part of Frogster's strategy to make sure the game had dedicated
testers. The goal was to refine the content and fix bugs. It was not
the normal advertising scheme employed by so many competitors.
Only after it was satisfied that the foundation for Runes of
Magic was polished and solid did Frogster admit a large number of new
testers to perform stress tests and fill the servers. This time, Ten
Ton Hammer was granted up to
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=37353">1500
beta slots. Closed Beta III in November looks to be the last
invitation-only phase of beta for Runes
of Magic. December will likely bring the open beta for the
window shoppers of the internet.
Frogster deserves praise for treating its game like a real
game where production value matters. Free-to-play does not have to mean
low budget and poor quality, and the careful approach Frogster used
with beta will ensure the release product is one worth playing. Since
the Closed Beta is under a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), I can't say
what I have or have not seen in the game--or that I have seen anything
at all. Instead, I will drop a few links to some public information
that should properly showcase the potential of this game and help
readers understand why I am so excited about it:
-
Aslan
Valley Zone Preview - Note the attention to detail for the
lore. A game with a solid story will keep players hooked instead of
feeling the grind. -
href="http://www.runesofmagic.com/en/articles,id13,0,fighting.html">Combat
Dev Journal - Since much of a gamer's time is spent in
combat, the system needs to be good. -
Combat
Screenshots - We can see enough here to understand the
comparison to World of
Warcraft (WoW) in the area of graphics. If the rest of the
game is as good as WoW, can Frogster go wrong? -
Combat
Video - Stills are great, but you know you want to see it in
action. -
Faction
Screenshots - Further proof of a detailed backstory. A world
with conflicting factions feels more alive. -
Armor
Screenshots - We're all vain when it comes to our virtual
avatars. We want people to be jealous of us just by looking at our cool
characters. -
Dungeon
Screenshots - This collection only has four screens, but each
dungeon looks distinct. Nobody wants to play the game where every new
dungeon looks like the one he just left. -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/events/leipzig08/awards">GCDC
2008 Awards - Runes
of Magic won the Best Free-to-Play award from Ten Ton
Hammer.
Are you excited about Runes
of Magic? Think you know how F2P games should handle beta
testing? Let us know
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=37765">in
our forums.
Disclaimer:
The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed are those of the author
and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of
the Ten Ton Hammer network or staff.
Free-to-Play Games
October 30 2008
1
Last
week: 1
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/38580/preview">
href="http://atlantica.ndoorsgames.com/" target="_blank">http://atlantica.ndoorsgames.com/)
NDOORS
Why you should try
it: Atlantica
requires players to think. Yes, think! Every time I play, I see a
newbie ask how to defeat Hellish Fairy (the first boss) in Peer chat.
Age old tactics of "whack it until it's dead" do not apply to this game.
2
Last
week: 2
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/41097/preview">
target="_blank">www.wizard101.com)
KingsIsle Entertainment, Inc.
style="font-weight: bold;">Why you should try it:
Eventually,
you will have to pay to unlock all of the content in
style="font-style: italic;">Wizard101.
Meanwhile, the content available for free is polished, balanced, and
fun. Read the first impressions
href="http://www.tentonhamster.com/node/2632">over
on the Hamster and check out the
href="http://www.tentonhamster.com/node/2664">Halloween video.
3
Last
week: 3
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/31567/preview">
NEXON
style="font-weight: bold;">Why you should try it:
style="font-style: italic;">Mabinogi has a
deceptively simple combat mechanic that stays fun for a long time.
4
Last
week: 4
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/33602/preview">
( target="_blank">http://www.dungeonrunners.com style="font-weight: bold;">) NCSoft
Why you should try
it:
style="font-style: italic;">Dungeon
Runners has the best sense of humor of any game you can
play. The game even makes fun of itself.
style="font-weight: bold;">
5
Last
week: 8
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/36886/preview">
( href="http://www.runesofmagic.com/">www.runesofmagic.com style="font-weight: bold;">)
Frogster
Why you should try
it:
style="font-style: italic;">Runes of Magic has
a lot of promise. When Open Beta comes, the world will get to see if
Frogster can deliver on that promise.
6
Last
week: 5
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/30838/preview">
Online
- ( href="http://mwo.enjoymmo.com/" target="_blank">http://mwo.enjoymmo.com style="font-weight: bold;">)
Goldcool Games
Why you should try
it:
style="font-style: italic;">Magic World Online
tells a tale and puts your character at the center of it all. In doing
so, it provides an element that is missing from so many other games on
the market--even subscription games.
7
Last
week: 6
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/35119/preview">
YNK Interactive
Why you should try
it:
style="font-style: italic;">Rohan is as solid a
game as any for the first 20 levels. The graphics are nice, and the
world feels alive because of the factions. The player base continues to
dwindle, though.
8
Last
week: N/A
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/30841/preview">
( href="http://warriorepic.com/">http://warriorepic.com style="font-weight: bold;">)
Possibility Space
Why you should try
it:
style="font-style: italic;">Warrior Epic is
poised to offer a fine dungeon romp with unique character classes and a
grand story. The Closed Beta ended some time ago, and little had been
heard from the game until the recent
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/47187">promotional
video.
9
Last
week: 7
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/32333/preview">
href="http://domo.aeriagames.com/">http://domo.aeriagames.com style="font-weight: bold;">)
Aeria Games &
Entertainment
Why you should try
it:
style="font-style: italic;">Dream of Mirror
Online features a lively and active player base. The
players are pretty generous, too. The dual class system is fun and
allows more versatility in a group. Good thing, too, because you
style="font-style: italic;">must have a group
to progress.
10
Last
week: 9
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/45940/preview">
(http://en.florensia-online.com/)
Burda:ic GmbH
Why you should try
it:
style="font-style: italic;">Florensia allows
players to break the tedium of land adventures with sea combat and
travel. It makes the world seem more realistic and gives players with
limited time options.
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